One More Time
by suzie2b
Summary: He did it for Moffitt. He did it for Hitch. It's Troy's turn.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **One More Time**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **It was early. Tully woke up and stared at the stars for a minute before checking his watch. Then he sighed and rolled out of his blankets. He stretched as looked around the small fire lit camp. Hitch and Troy were asleep.**

 **Tully took his machine gun and trudged to the top of the wadi to relieve Moffitt on watch. He knew the sergeant would be grateful for a couple more hours of sleep.**

 **There had been nothing to see and the desert was quiet as Tully watched the horizon lighten with the sunrise. He got a whiff of coffee and looked down at the camp to see his friends up starting the day.**

 **About an hour later Troy appeared at the top of the wadi and said, "Ready to get some breakfast?"**

 **Tully sighed. "I could eat."**

" **Then get going. I'll keep an eye on things here."**

 **Tully handed Troy the machine gun and he'd only taken a few steps when he saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and shouted a warning as a shot rang out. At the same time he slammed into the sergeant, knocking them both to the ground.**

 **Troy immediately rolled to his knees and fired into the bushes where the shot had come from. Then he was on his feet running to check the damage. It was an Arab with a long rifle … now dead. And he hadn't been alone. Troy heard his buddies riding off into the desert.**

 **When he turned Troy saw Hitch running towards them and Moffitt watching things from the campsite. Then he looked around for Tully, saying, "Looks like we…" Troy didn't finish the sentence when he saw the private on the ground. He hurried over to where Tully was sitting and knelt down. "You okay?"**

 **Tully moved his hand away from his side and looked at the blood on it. "I'm not sure."**

 **Troy started to open the private's shirt, saying, "Damn it, Tully, why'd you do that?"**

 **Hitch got there and looked around anxiously. "What happened?"**

" **Arabs. They must've showed up during the night. There's a dead one in the bushes."**

 **Hitch knelt across from Troy. "How bad is it?"**

 **Troy pressed a kerchief against the bleeding wound and put Tully's hand over it. "Bad enough."**

 **Troy and Hitch got Tully to his feet. Hitch put Tully's free arm around his shoulder as Tully looked at Troy and said, "I didn't want ya to get shot, sarge."**

 **Troy sighed. "Take him down to Moffitt. I'm going to have a look around and make sure we're alone."**

 **Moffitt hurried to meet them when he saw Hitch helping Tully down into the wadi. "What happened?"**

 **Hitch said, "There was an Arab hiding up there and shot Tully. Sarge killed him."**

" **Where's Troy now?"**

" **He wanted to take a look around to see if there's anyone else around."**

 **Tully grimaced as Moffitt and Hitch helped him sit down on a blanket next to one of the jeeps. "Don't know when they showed up…"**

 **Moffitt moved the private's hand to inspect the wound. "They could've come anytime during the night on horseback. It could be they didn't even know we were here until this morning."**

 **Troy joined them a short time later. Hitch was in the back of the jeep keeping watch and asked, "Was he alone?"**

 **Troy shook his head. "There's plenty of evidence that there was a camp set up. Must've been three or four of them with horses. I heard them take off after I shot the one aiming at me."**

 **Moffitt looked up in surprise. "You? But Tully…" Troy nodded and Moffitt sighed as he frowned at the private, saying, "You did it again, didn't you."**

 **Tully quietly said, "I couldn't just stand there and let the guy shoot sarge."**

 **Troy said, "He knocked me down. I didn't even see that Arab until I got up."**

 **Tully coughed up a little blood and Moffitt said with concern, "The bullet probably hit his lung." He started to apply a field dressing. "There's no way to know how bad it is and I don't think digging around for the bullet is the best idea."**

 **Hitch said, "There's a hospital about five miles from here according to the map."**

 **Troy looked at Moffitt. "Can he make it?"**

 **The sergeant said, "The initial wound has stopped bleeding, but if he's bleeding internally it could be touch and go."**

" **Do we have a choice?"**

 **Moffitt shook his head. "None."**

 **##################**

 **Do to radio silence no call was made to the hospital, so they weren't expected. And when they got there they discovered it was very busy. Two corpsmen put Tully on a stretcher to take him into triage, telling Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch they needed to wait outside.**

 **Hitch watched the stretcher disappear into the tent with one of his best friends on it. "Tully's hurt bad. They won't make him wait too long, will they?"**

 **Moffitt said, "It depends on how bad injured the other patients are."**

 **Troy sighed. "I'm sure they'll take care of him as soon as they can." He looked at Hitch and said, "Why don't you get the jeeps to the motor pool. I need to write up a report. Moffitt can stay here."**

 **The sergeant gave a nod. "I'll let you both know when Tully goes into surgery."**

 **##################**

 **Moffitt paced outside the triage tent for a half-hour. The stream of wounded had stopped, so he decided to see how things were going. He pushed through the flap and stepped inside. There were stretchers lining the floor, each occupied by a seriously wounded soldier attached to IVs. There were others, with less serious injuries sitting on the floor, leaning against the walls wherever they could to wait for their turn to see a doctor.**

 **Moffitt quickly found Tully. There was an IV of plasma dripping into his arm. Moffitt got to his knees and looked at the pale, unconscious young man. The field dressing had been replaced with a thick pressure bandage and was tinged with red where blood was beginning to soak through.**

 **A nurse put a hand on Moffitt's shoulder and said quietly, "You shouldn't be in here, sergeant."**

 **Moffitt stood up and looked at her worriedly. "How much longer does he have to wait?"**

" **Is he one of your men?" When he nodded she smiled gently and said, "It shouldn't be too much longer."**

 **Another half-hour later the same nurse found Moffitt still waiting outside and told him that Tully had just gone into the surgery.**

 **Moffitt found Troy in the mess tent, staring at a blank piece of paper on the table in front of him. Moffitt got a mug of coffee and another of tea. He sat down across from Troy and set the coffee next to his right hand. "How's the report coming?"**

 **Troy slowly looked up and took the mug. "Thanks." He took a sip and said, "It's not. I thought writing it would keep me busy, but I can't seem to concentrate. You're here so I assume Tully's in surgery."**

 **Moffitt dunked the teabag in and out of the hot water. "Yes, a few minutes ago."**

" **How's he holding up?"**

" **When the nurse came out to tell me he'd been taken into surgery she said he's in serious condition."**

 **Troy nodded. "Why don't we go find Hitch and let him know what's happening."**

 **##################**

 **Troy and Moffitt chose the motor pool. They both figured Hitch would be there trying to stay busy. The young private wasn't hard to spot sitting behind the wheel of one of their jeeps, but before they could join him, the sergeants were stopped by a mechanic, who pointed to Hitch and asked, "You guys lookin' for him?"**

 **Troy replied, "Yeah."**

" **Good. He's been sittin' there like that since he brought in the second jeep. To be honest I was startin' to worry."**

 **Moffitt said, "We brought in a badly wounded friend of ours. We're waiting to hear how the surgery goes."**

 **The mechanic nodded. "Sorry to hear that. I hope your friend pulls through."**

" **Thank you."**

 **Troy pushed himself up onto the hood of the jeep next to the fender holster on the driver's side. Moffitt got into the passenger seat next to Hitch. Troy quietly asked, "You okay, Hitch?"**

 **He continued to stare at the steering wheel as he said, "Not really. Any word?"**

 **Moffitt said, "Tully's in surgery."**

 **Hitch finally looked from one sergeant to the other. "Why does he keep doing it?"**

 **Troy said, "What … jumping in front of bullets?" Hitch nodded. "Because he doesn't know how not to take a bullet for someone."**

" **He was lucky the first two times. This could be the one that gets him."**

 **Moffitt said, "Yes, but Tully won't hesitate to do it again if it means one of us remains uninjured. He's got what I call an old soul."**

 **Hitch asked, "What's an 'old soul'?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "It means he's wise beyond his years. He watches what goes on around him and gleans whatever information he can from it. Tully knows us each better than we know ourselves I think. He cares … perhaps too much about those around him."**

 **Troy agreed and added, "There are people who think Tully's just a guy from the sticks who doesn't have a clue…"**

 **Hitch interrupted angrily, "Who says that?"**

" **But we know better. He's smart and strong. Tully knows what he's doing when he does things. Jumping to knock one of us out of the way of danger is more than just a reaction with him. He knew he was about to be shot even as he yelled that warning to me."**

 **Moffitt said, "We can no more change Tully than he can change one of us."**

 **When Hitch slowly nodded, Troy said, "Why don't we go wait on news from the doctor."**

 **It was several hours before Tully was out of surgery to spend another hour in recovery. A nurse found Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch outside waiting for news and explained that the bullet did nick Tully's lung, but wound up in his spleen, where most of the internal bleeding took place. "Right now he's in stable but guarded condition and is still in recovery."**

 **Hitch asked, "When can we see him?"**

 **The nurse said, "He's going to be asleep for some time." She smiled sympathetically. "Why don't go get a something to eat and some rest. Come back in about four hours."**

 **#################**

 **Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch went to the mess hall, but didn't taste the food they ate. Then they went for a tent assignment.**

 **However, they didn't really rest. They watched the time and talked mostly about Tully.**

 **Moffitt sat at the small table and said, "You know … and don't take offense, Hitch … when Troy and I traded places I found myself feeling more comfortable with Tully."**

 **Hitch smiled from where he sat on a bunk with his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hands. "That's okay. I understand. Tully and I are best friends, but we're also opposites in some ways."**

" **His driving style, his demeanor, his way of knowing what's expected of him even before I say anything works well for us."**

 **Troy nodded as he paced around the tent. "Tully's a driver through and through. He knows how to read the lay of the land better than anyone I've ever known." He looked at Hitch and said, "Don't get me wrong. You're an excellent driver too."**

 **Hitch said, "Thanks, sarge. I know I'm a good driver, or else I wouldn't be part of the Long Range Desert Patrol. But Tully's got a lot more experience than I do."**

" **Yeah, running moonshine before being old enough to get a driver's license will do that."**

 **Moffitt added, "He's got an air of calmness about him that you just don't see in other soldiers."**

 **Troy agreed, "That's why he's a crack shot."**

 **Hitch mentioned, "I tend to overthink when I'm playing sniper. Slows me down too much."**

 **Moffitt smiled. "I'd take any one of you with me into a firefight."**

 **Troy patted Hitch on the shoulder as he walked by. "That goes for me too."**

 **Hitch looked at his watch again. "Can we go check on Tully now?"**

" **Why not."**

 **#################**

 **It was on the edge of darkness. The sun was just an orange glow on the horizon and the heat of the day was beginning to slowly abate. Light shone through the windows of the hospital tent.**

 **Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch quietly went inside and let their eyes adjust to the light before they looked around to find which cot held Tully. Three sets of eyes located their friend at the same time and they worked their way around the many other cots to get to him.**

 **When a nurse spotted them standing there, staring quietly down at Tully, she went over and whispered, "I'm sorry, but there isn't enough room for all three of you to be here at once."**

 **Troy looked at her and asked, "How's he doing?"**

" **Better. He finished his last unit of whole blood over an hour ago. He's being a little slow to wake up, but the doctor believes he'll pull through."**

 **Hitch asked, "Can one of us stay here with him. If he wakes up and at least one of us isn't here, he'll worry."**

 **The nurse smiled. "All right. I'll get a chair."**

 **Hitch glanced at the sergeants. "I'll stay first."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "I'll come by in a while to spell you."**

 **#################**

 **Hitch was sitting there dozing with a hand on Tully's arm when he felt the movement. He pushed himself upright and waited for his friend's eyes to open.**

 **Tully's head felt foggy and when he slowly opened his eyes he couldn't focus. He blinked, then realized he was looking up at Hitch. "Hi."**

"' **Bout time you came around."**

 **Tully's voice was scratchy as he asked, "How long have you been here?"**

 **Hitch dabbed a little of the ointment the nurse had left on his friend's dry lips. "A couple of hours. How's your pain level?"**

" **I'm sort of … numb … and thirsty."**

" **Sorry, buddy, the nurse says you can't take anything in until sometime tomorrow. That's why you've got the IV."**

 **Tully's mouth formed the word "oh", but no sound came out as his eyes fell shut again.**

 **It was the middle of the night when Tully heard the quiet, familiar voice. He didn't recognize the words that were being read, but it didn't really matter. Tully opened his eyes and watched Moffitt reading from a book. For some reason he wondered if the sergeant had borrowed it from someone** **.**

 **Moffitt saw a slight shift out of the corner of his eye, then heard the soft groan of pain. He got a nurse's attention and quietly asked for some pain medication. Moffitt looked at Tully with a slight smile. "The nurse is coming with something for the pain. Just be still."**

 **Tully nodded slightly and Moffitt went back to reading. The nurse arrived with a shot and soon Tully faded back into sleep.**

 **The next time he awoke Tully found Troy next to him playing solitaire on a second chair he'd appropriated. The sergeant looked at him with a smile and asked, "How's it going, Tully?"**

 **The private whispered, "It's goin', sarge. Water?"**

 **Troy picked up a cup and helped Tully get a small drink. "The nurse said you can have a sip now and then until they're sure you're going to keep it down."**

 **That slight amount of movement exhausted Tully. "How long am I gonna be here?"**

" **At least until the end of the week. Then you'll be transferred to the hospital at Ras Tanura. We've already gotten word to Charley and we're keeping her updated."**

" **Are you still mad at me?"**

 **Troy was taken aback by the question. "Why would I be mad at you, Tully?"**

 **He tried to take a deep breath and grimaced. "I got shot again."**

" **You didn't just get shot again, you took a bullet meant for someone else … this time it was me. I'm not mad. I'm grateful … but you've really got to stop doing it."**

 **Tully managed a wane smile. "Can't…"**

 **Troy sighed and smiled. "Yeah, I know. We've had this argument before. All I can say is, you've save Moffitt, Hitch, and now me. When's it gonna be our turn to save you?"**

" **But, sarge, you guys pull me out of trouble all the time. You've saved my life countless times. You don't need to throw yourselves in front of a bullet to return the favor."**

" **Okay, I get your point." Tully yawned and Troy said, "Just take it easy and sleep. Hitch'll be by in a little bit to take over."**


End file.
